Accommodations

Mme Jean’s house is fairly large... we have our own room – 2 bunk beds and a single (which, somehow I scored... really, who actually chooses a bunk bed over a single??), and get this... A REAL TOILET!!! We are the only house lucky enough to have one, and as word spread to the rest of the team we became known as ‘the number 2 house’... though I am not really cool with everyone using us for that purpose... There is also a separate room to bathe with the infamous bucket showers that I am slowly becoming an expert on. The sitting room can fit 16 people comfortably for dinners (just enough space) and is equipped with a small TV that runs on a battery (and that is the first to re-boot when a power outage occurs... priorities right?) so that the ever so popular Mexican soaps can be the dinner entertainment... A separate fire kitchen area outside is where the majority of the cooking is done. Since it is currently the rainy season, the family is not conserving water too much, though the three of us are sticking to the ‘if it’s yellow let it mellow’ philosophy. I’m sure this will change throughout the summer as raining becomes less frequent and water conservation becomes a priority. At this point we may insist that we use the outdoor latrine (though we have already offered, we could try to be more persistent...)

The five little girls, Sherrie, Iventa, Collette, Stephanie, and Natalie are not justified in my description of their absolute adorableness. All under 6, they make it very hard to get work done in the evenings with their constant high energy and need for attention from the muzungus! Sherrie is a timid 2 year old with adorable dimples who has taken to sitting on my lap whenever it is free... though watch out... when she has a tantrum she will urinate as we have witnessed. She hardly speaks but watches everything! Iventa is a sassy six year old with the best facial expressions and sounds to show surprise or awe. She also knows the most English so we are learning a lot from her. Collette (3) has a lot of energy and has big beautiful eyes and a toothy smile that melts your heart. She is a bit wacky and we love her for it. Stephanie (2) loves to dance and is constantly humming to herself and shaking her bootie. She is often tired and will randomly cuddle up and nap... very similar to Allison on our team... (haha). Natalie (turning 2 in June) was so serious the first day we arrived and refused to smile until I pretended she was a rocket and flew her through the front gate of the house. Ever since, she giggles every time she sees us before running away and playing an extended (and apparently hilarious) version of peek-a-boo.

Also living in the house is Mme Jane’s daughter (and mother of Sherrie), Mme Jane’s son, a teacher at Fairview (mom of Collette), and an older orphaned young adult... huge household. Iventa is Mme Jane's second grandchild, whose mother is too young to care for her. Stephanie and Natalie have been taken in by Mme Jane as adopted additions to this generous family. Stephanie’s grandmother was unable to continue taking care of her, and Natalie was found by the side of the road playing around her mother’s unconscious body. A story so devastating I do not wish to elaborate on it here. If you were to ever see these children, you would not understand how abandonment could ever be possible. Needless to say, I am in my element with cuddles, snuggles and lullabyes. It is also convenient to have children around because it is really forcing us to learn Kiswahili so that with their few English words and gestures we can have a bit of communication.

The girls are delighted by our technology and I have recorded some heart-squeezing songs and dances in front of the webcam on my computer... they love watching themselves and singing along over and over and over and over... I suspect that half of my camera space will be filled with smiling children.

An addition to the household is Maggie, who we have hired as a housekeeper for our stay here to help the household with the additional visitors (which is so strange and a bit uncomfortable for me though apparently expected), and her granddaughter Mercy (5), another cutie. She is very sweet and is a true African Mama who takes good care of us. She thinks it is very strange that I like my tea without milk and sugar, and that I don’t mind taking a cold bath after a hot day in the sun. She even prevented our shoes from being stolen by stowing them under her bed. What would we do without her? Mercy is also so adorable and very high energy which turns a bit aggressive when she gets really excited... (haha) nothing we can’t handle but let’s just say she is one of those children who likes to give hard high-fives with all of her might. She is also a fabulous dancer who you can tell feels the beat of the music in her soul.